CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The last day of school is around the corner, and summer camps are filling up quickly.
There are at least 100 summer camps in Charlotte alone offering full and half-day camps, ranging from the whole summer to over the span of a few weeks.
Camp coordinators say the mad dash to get your child signed up for a summer camp is also officially here.
“They are filling up every day, I'm getting the notification that folks are signing up,” said Quintel Gwinn, the McColl Center Programs Director. “So the next couple of weeks is where I think is going to be intense.”
The McColl Center’s summer art camp will give kids hands-on experience and teaching from local and nationally-acclaimed artists.
“Our summer camps are for youth who are aspiring artists or just have an interest in creativity. And because we have spaces that foster creation - like our labs - and we have artists that are here in the building,” Gwinn said.
The camp is already 85% filled.
Specialty camps—like art programs— tend to fill up faster than larger programs like the YMCA. This is mostly due to smaller class sizes.
That being said, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte says they’re more than 90% full for day camps.
Gwinn said this summer feels different.
“It's because all of the things that we've experienced these past couple of years with a pandemic, students are looking for new ways to express themselves,” Gwinn said. “And parents are also looking for more opportunities for their children to spend time learning or creating or making.”
You can sign up for most camps online, and parents should look for scholarship opportunities to help curb the cost.
Gwinn says the price is sometimes a barrier for parents to sign kids up for summer camp.
“I'm a mother of three, I'm a practicing designer, and I knew what it was like to really want to have these opportunities, and they just were not available, or they were there and my parents could afford them or could not find the transportation,” Gwinn said.
Summer camps can cost anywhere from $60 to $400 a week. Price varies based on the type of camp. Many camps have scholarship funds that cover most or half of the tuition.
“I really want to encourage folks to take the opportunity, take advantage of the scholarship opportunity. It's really for students that may not have the financial means or traditional opportunities to be immersed into art and creativity in this way,” Gwinn said.
The requirements for scholarships are different everywhere, but some are as simple as writing a letter of need and you’re approved.
If you’ve missed the chance to sign up for your kid’s favorite camp, see if you can get on the waitlist.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.